HI MY FRIEND AND COLLEAGUES, IT’S GREAT TO BE HERE AGAIN!

…HOPE YOU APPRECIATED MY LAST LESSON ABOUT JOHN PATITUCCI’S GIANT STEPS SOLO.

TODAY WE COME BACK TO OUR USUAL LESSONS REGARDING EAR TRAINING. IN THE JULY ISSUE, I SUGGESTED AN EXERCISE ABOUT INTERVALS THAT YOU CAN DO WITHOUT YOUR INSTRUMENT. THIS TIME, WE CAN PICK UP OUR BASS AND DO A NEW “CHAPTER” IN THIS STORY ABOUT EAR TRAINING.

I THINK THE BEST WAY TO IMPROVE OUR “EARS” IS THE WORK I DID IN THIS LATEST LESSON. SO, NOW I SUGGEST YOU TO LISTEN TO A RECORD YOU LIKE AND TAKE SMALL PHRASE FROM A SOLO, OR FROM A BASS LINE YOU LIKE, AND START TO PLAY EACH OF THE NOTES BY EAR.

AS USUAL, START WITH TWO OR THREE NOTES. IN THIS CASE, YOU DON’T HAVE TO WRITE ANYTHING! YOU’RE NOT TRANSCRIBING THE SOLO OR THE BASS LINE. YOU’RE MAKING THE FIRST STEP TO LEARN HOW TRANSCRIBE MUSIC, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, YOU’RE DEVELOPING YOUR MUSICAL EAR!! LATER, YOU’LL BE ABLE TO TRANSCRIBE ALL OF THE NOTES YOU’RE LISTENING TO CORRECTLY.

DON’T GET DISCOURAGED WITH YOUR PROGRESS. BE PATIENT WITH YOURSELF… THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. YOUR “EAR” WILL IMPROVE DRAMATICALLY IF YOU CONTINUE TO PRACTICE (WHICH IS GREAT NEWS), BUT YOU’LL NEED A LITTLE TIME.

OK… THIS IS TIME FOR HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:

1) TAKE A SHORT MUSICAL PRHASE FROM A SOLO OR NOTES FROM A BASS LINE YOU LIKE. STOP THE RECORDING AND TRY TO RECOGNIZE THE NOTES BY EAR. THEN YOU CAN USE THE BASS TO HELP FIND THE CORRECT NOTES.

START WITH TWO NOTES, THEN THREE, THEN FOUR… THEN ALL THE NOTES THAT YOU CAN.

OK. IT’S TIME TO GO…

HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS LESSON!
CIAO
ANDREA